TRANSLATION: Khutbah, "Our Children in the West II" February 25, 2011

In the Name of Allah The most Gracious the most mercifulAll due praise to Allah and peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad and his household and his companions Dear Muslim brothers , I continue the topic I started last week about the brining-up of our children in the West.We have to know that there are some principles that have to be ingrained in the children. These principles help them to live their life in harmony with Sharia. Amongst the most important of these principles are piety, good character, brotherhood, mercy, selflessness, wisdom, forgiveness, valor, being considerate toward others' rights, such as the rights of the wife, the parents, the relatives, the teachers, the friends , the elderly, the neighbors, the people of the book and others. These principles, as well as other ones, make the Muslim to be a good person with such good manners so that he becomes effective in his community based on the Qur'an and the Sunna of the Prophet (pbu). Let's start with the first of these principles which is Taqwa (piety) which is a feeling of deep faith the makes a person fear Allah and observe one's actions, and fearing Allah's punishment and seeking his reward. Ali Ibn Abi Taleb may Allah be pleased with him says: piety is to fear Allmighty and work according to Qur'an and be satisfied even with the least in this life and to prepare for the day of departure (when you die). Because of this, Qur'an is concerned with the virtue of Taqwa. Allah will abundantly reward the pious. Some of these rewards are: 1- Allah will be your protector ((Allah is the protector of the righteous)) 2- Knowledge and wisdom ((fear Allah and Allah teaches you)) imam Qurtubi says: this means that Allah give you a light to make you understand what you are given. 3- Distinguishing the right from the wrong, Allah says (( o you who believe if you fear Allah he will give you a criterion)) 4- Forgiving your sins and making your deeds righteous ((o you who believe, fear Allah and say words of appropriate justice, he (then) will amend your deeds and forgive your sins)5- Making your matters easier for you (( whoever fears Allah, he will make for him of his matter ease)) Ibn Katheer says: Allah will make your matters easier and help you to find a way out. 6- Getting out of your ordeals and providing for you ((whoever fears Allah, he will make for him a way out, and he will provide for him from where he doesn't expect)) Ibn Abbas says: Allah will help you find a way out of your ordeals in this life and in the hereafter. 7- Honoring you to be gathered to Allah ((on the day when we gather the righteous to the Merciful as a delegation))8- To be near Allah ((Indeed the righteous will be amongst gardens and rivers. In a seat of honor near a sovereign, perfect in ability)) 9- Inheriting Janna – paradise ((that is paradise which we give as inheritance to those of our servants who were fearing of Allah))10- Protection from hellfire. Allah says ((their Lord protects them from the punishment of hellfire)) Narrated Abu Tharr and Muath Ibn Jabal may Allah be pleased with them that the Prophet (pbu) said: fear Allah wherever you are, and do good deed when you commit a sin, and deal with people with good manners. (tirmithi) My Muslim brothers and sisters, you should know that Taqwa is the key for every good thing. It is placed in the heart, Rasul Allah said (fear Allah wherever you are and, Taqwa is here pointing to his heart. And when Rasul Allah says "wherever you are", he is guiding the servants of Allah to worship Allah as if they see him and, if not, they at least watch their actions. Rasul Allah (pbu) says that the (Ihsan is when you worship Allah as if you could see him) and Allah says: (it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts that are in the breasts) And Rasul Allah says: (there is a part of the body, if it is good all the body is good and if it is bad all the body is bad. It is the heart) Parents and educators are in need for piety. No doubt that if they are pious their children will be brought up in a good way. They will be righteous, pure wise, truthful and influential. Dear brothers and sisters, Taqwa affects people's behavior and they way they treat one another. It is narrated that Abd ibn Dinar to have said: I was going with Umar Ibn Alkhattab to Makka when we met a shepherd coming down of a mountain. Umar said "you shepherd sell me one of these sheep, he answered I am a slave. Umar said to test him "tell your master that a wolf ate it" the shepherd answered and how about Allah? Umar cried and he went with that slave bought him and freed him and said "what you've said freed you in this life I hope it will free you in the hereafter" Many of you know the story of that girl and her mother. When the mother wanted to add water to the milk to increase the profits and her daughter reminded her that Umar doesn't allow that. The mother replies that Umar doesn't see them the daughter says 'and how about the Lord of Umar, does not he see us'.We should bring up our children with the virtue of Taqwa. I ask forgiveness from Allah for me and for all muslims.